Two Bullets on Final Day Secure the Victory of the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta to Bora Gulari

March 7, 2020 - Miami, FL, USA - Tough, rough and exhilarating conditions showed up in Biscayne Bay on the last day at the Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta for the thrill of the 524 sailors gathered in Miami for this world renowned event. An average 15 knots breeze, with gusts of over 20 knots, tested teams and served up a spectacular final day of racing for sailors and the spectator flotilla following the racing.

USA 820 of Bora Gulari, Kyle Navin, Norman Berg, Ian Liberty and Taylor Canfield - 2020 Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta

Martina Orsini

2020 Melges 24 Bacardi Cup Invitational Champion

Two races for the Melges 24 and two stunning wins for USA 820 (Bora Gulari/Taylor Canfield/Kyle Navin/Norman Berg/Ian Liberty) to win overall by a 13 point margin. Second to Raza Mixta (Peter Duncan/Victor Diaz de Leon/Mattero Ramian/Carlos Robles/Willem Van Waay) and Shaka (KC Shannon/Jackson Benvenutti/Ben Lynchi/Tom Sawchuk/Elizabeth Whitener) remained in third overall despite being black flagged in the last race.

"It was a glamor day out there today," said Taylor Canfield helm of the winning crew. "Biscayne Bay is great in this condition and we had two wins to close the event. I am sailing with a great team, they are really sharp and make my work a lot easier. This was a great tune up for the 2020 Worlds that will take place in Charleston in May. We have learned a lot. It's my first event in the class after some time and I loved it."

2020 Melges 24 Corinthian Bacardi Invitational Cup Champion

Norwegian team Sebago (Jan Frederik Dyvi, Jan Boro / Herman Horn-Johannessen / Malin Rorvik-Sundelin / Stian Ness Rorvik) takes the victory of the Corinthian division being 13th in overall fleet. Second place on the Corinthian podium belongs to 3 1/2 Men (Steve Suddath / Steve Burke / Shawn Burke / Jack Smith) and the Top 3 is completed by Megan & Hunter Ratliff's Decorum with Zac Hernandez, Nick Van Amtwerp and Steve Liebel.

For 27 Melges 24 it was a great training towards the 25th Sperry Charleston Race Week and 2020 Melges 24 World Championship.

The spectacular finale prize-giving at Shake a Leg Miami followed by the renowned Bacardi after party brought the 2020 Bacardi Cup Invitational Regatta to a close.

Top 5 of the Melges 24 class (One Design - 28 Boats)
1. USA 820, Bora Gulari / Kyle Navin / Norman Berg / ian Liberty / Taylor Canfield , Detroit, Michigan, USA - 1 -1 -2 -[7] -6 -3 -1 -1 ; 15
2. Raza Mixta, Peter Duncan / Victor Diaz de Leon / Matteo Ramian / Carlos Robles / Willem Van Waay , Rye, NY, USA - 5 -4 -6 -1 -1 -2 -9 -[15] ; 28
3. Shaka, KC Shannon / Jackson Benvenutti / Ben Lynchi / Tom Sawchuk / Elizabeth Whitener , Fayetteville, GA, USA - 2 -3 -1 -17 -10 -8 -6 -[29] ; 47
4. Mikey, Kevin Welch / Jeff Madrigali / Mark Ivy / Serena Vilage / Christina Persson , Anacortes, WA, USA - 3 -9 -12 -2 -5 -13 -[22] -7 ; 51
5. Zingara, Richard Reid / Bill Gooderham / Pat Mattchew / Ben Lamb , Port Credit, Ont, CAN - 8 -14 -[19] -5 -2 -7 -12 -5 ; 53

Full results
Scoring Website
Photos by Martina Orsini

Bacardi Winter Series comes to a close

With the conclusion of the third and final event of the 2019/2020 Melges 24 Bacardi Winter Series, Gulari has also gone on to win the overall Champion title by a substantial margin, ahead of 2019 U.S. National Champion Michael Goldfarb’s Warcanoe in second. Canada’s Richard Reid racing Zingara completed the top three podium positions.

Steve Suddath’s 3 1/2 Men, seated fifth overall, also captured the prestigious Corinthian Winter Series title. 2019 Champion Megan Ratliff racing Decorum, came third, followed by Germany’s Thomas Beck at the helm of Phonobloc.

See the full results of the 2019-2020 Bacardi Winter Series

Source: Rachele Vitello & USM24CA

More information at bacardiinvitational.com.